Newsletter #77

Gardening offers a lens into all dimensions of science, not just botany, but also geology, ornithology, entomology, and on and on. It is a brilliant teacher.

It also leaves no doubt who is in charge (hint: not you).

~Margaret Roach, master gardener and author

Hello Friends!

A warm welcome to all new subscribers, and heartfelt thanks to our paid supporters!

We’ve arrived at the beginning of May—prime time for gardeners like me (and Margaret Roach!) when the pace picks up and the to-do list explodes. It’s that glorious (and slightly chaotic) season of sowing and tending: starting seeds like tomatoes, fennel, cosmos, and marigolds in the greenhouse; prepping beds for direct sowing of kale, chard, spinach, and sugar snap peas; and, of course—endless weeding.

There’s compost to sift and spread on freshly cleared beds, and new supports to install for tomatoes, string beans, cucumbers, runner beans, and sweet peas. It’s a whirlwind of work—and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

While putting this issue together, I learned a few fascinating things. Did you know hydrogen peroxide has uses beyond cleaning wounds? Or that freshly cut hair can be transformed into something surprisingly useful? In this edition’s Cabinet of Green Curiosities, I’m sharing an object I was once completely obsessed with—and you just might fall for it too.

You’ll also hear about the new wing I’ve added to my business, what I’ve been Watching and Reading lately, and a film that inspired me years ago and still resonates today.

Onwards!